Free Wi-Fi for London 2012 Olympics thanks to O2

Fancy some free Wi-Fi while you're out and about during the Olympics? Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Exhibition Road are amongst the seven squares and shopping streets to benefit from free O2 Wi-fi during London 2012.

O2 has worked in collaboration with Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to blanket the posh bits of London with free Wi-Fi. You don't even have to be an O2 customer, for your mobile or for your broadband. The scheme provides free Internet connection for all, at no cost to council, taxpayer or Russian tax exile.

All you have to do is register once and you should automatically connect every time you're near a hotspot, sparing you from paying for 3G -- especially handy if you've come from overseas for the Olympic Games and face roaming charges heftier than an Eastern European shot putter.

You'll see different stuff on the Wi-Fi home page depending on where you are. Exhibition Road, High Street Kensington, Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Leicester Square and Piccadilly will be fully Wi-Fi'd up by the end of July.

"With millions of extra people coming to town for the Games, we want to ensure we showcase the capital as the best city in the world to work and visit," says comedy toff and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. "The addition of free Wifi to some of our most popular landmarks is crucial in helping to maintaining that reputation." You tell 'em Boris.

You can also connect to free Wi-Fi while you're down in the tube station at midnight or any other time, with free Wi-Fi provided by Virgin Media at selected London Underground platforms and ticket halls. That's also free for the duration of the Olympics.

There's no word on how long the free Wi-Fi will last, but hey, if you're going to be stuck in West End traffic for two weeks because of the Games, you can at least moan about it on Twitter for free. What do you think of the Olympics? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.